Saturday 1 March 2014

Why I am a christian

So whoever is reading this, yes I am aware that you may not like this. I have some questions, who doesn’t? I still believe in Jesus and do my best to trust him and live for him daily however after being challenged the other day I felt it was necessary to write this. Whoever you are reading this I hope you will gain an understanding as to why I believe and what it is that I am currently questioning. I have not written this to start a debate as my bible knowledge is virtually non-existent but to simply express my views. I have realised recently that I am the most honest with myself when I write and so this is my way of being honest with both you, and myself.

I was brought up believing-This is probably first and foremost the reason as to why I believe in Christianity. As a child I never knew any different and it wasn’t really until about a year ago or so that I started to question it. Well, not so much question it but more so some of the things in the bible. I struggled with what was relevant to ME. Depending on what version you read, some of it just makes you think that it only applies to those whom are a lot older than yourself. I never really had questions growing up, I was one of the children in school where whenever the word ‘evolution’ came up I switched off and just left it as that. It was almost like a chore to go to church every Sunday, I was one of those children that was sat there in the service colouring in because I didn’t understand what was being said, even as I got older that was the case. I wasn’t really going for me until I got into my teens. I got attracted to it more by the lively worship and this in turn meant that I started listening despite the fact that my attention span can be quite thin at times! I guess you could say that I became a Christian gradually but then there was a point when it did hit me and I truly gave my life to Christ.

He saved me-That’s it. I believe that he died to save me from every single sin that I do. It says in the bible that the wages of sin is death and so I am eternally grateful that he paid that price so that I don’t have too.

Fear-This is perhaps the main one that I have been struggling with the past few weeks. I haven’t really mentioned this to more than a couple of people, one of whom has assured me that as a Christian I do not need to fear death, if anything I should be excited for it! But then bears the issue of why me? Why should I go to heaven? Am I even going to get there? How do you know? Those are the sorts of questions that run through my head sometimes and that can drive me crazy if I don’t ask a Christian friend for help! The stuff that is meant to happen in the ‘end times’, I don’t want to live through that! It’s going to happen! The technology stuff, it’s starting to happen! I have yet to study revelation; it’s the book I’ve been putting off because it scares me if I am completely honest about it. There is not much more to say to that. The unknown scares me generally, just not knowing what is going to happen and knowing that I can’t do anything about it. God determines my future and although right now for example I know I am going to university in September he may decide to put something in the way that means I don’t go to uni. Who’s to say that won’t happen? Not being in control of my future scares me. Trusting him is difficult but yet I know in the back of my mind it is worth it.

His love and his peace-He loves me. He loves me more than anyone could ever love me and more than I could ever love someone else. Trying to grasp that in itself is a challenge sometimes but it is so nice. I always see God as my Dad, it’s what he is to me! He’s always got my back even when times are tough and whether its through the bible or whether it’s him talking through someone else to me, he always is able to reassure me and bring me that peace that only he can bring. A few weeks back I was on the phone to someone and before-hand I had felt God just leading me to worship him a bit and read my bible, he talked to me through that then whilst on the phone to someone they mentioned that I sounded really chilled. I didn’t realise. That was God’s peace in me at that time because the way I was feeling before-hand, it certainly wasn’t me!

Where I am now-Right now I am at a place where I do believe and I do trust him as difficult as that it is at times and I am learning to be more patient generally. God has brought me through a lot, some of which would mean that I would not be here right now if it was not for him. How can I not love someone who has brought me through so much? I am also at a place where I have a lot of questions, some of which I do forget to write down but I am learning, I am growing. What’s the point in having questions if you’re not going to get answers? Even if they are answers you do not want to hear? I have grown up not questioning Christianity much and so this is where I am at right now. However I am surrounded by individuals whom I can talk to when I have questions (or when I remember them!) which is definitely helping. I am also in a place where I can try and answer other people’s questions and so learning more for myself as well which is helping me although it does mean that sometimes I end up asking the same questions which to me is not a bad thing!
And to those who think that Christians are perfect. We’re really not! We struggle with the same things you do but we have God’s strength on our side as well as our own! Also to those whom are surprised that I have questions, didn’t you when you were younger or when you came to know Christ? I’ve grown up not asking questions, this is my time.


So there you have it. That is me. 

Saturday 18 January 2014

My thoughts: Music and the media

So I feel like this needed to be said. Please note that this is my opinion on the subject and so I don’t apologise for the language I have used or the lyrics that I have quoted. I have done so to make a point and those who know me, know that I don’t beat people round the bush so to speak.

Am a tad fed up of people in the media thinking they can just go ahead and sing about how they treat girls and just coming straight out with it. The person who has wound me up a fair bit recently is Robin Thicke. I wish I could find the reference but hearing from the media that he thinks girls are just there to be treated like crap or words to that affect shocked me. Young girls who hear this, what are they going to think? How many of these girls are likely to have watched his and Miley Cyrus performance at the MTV awards? How many of these girls as a result of this are going to think that that is the right way to act? The right way to behave? By these celebrities portraying sex as some sort of toy, something that is fashionable, they are giving young teenage girls the view that this is ok, that this is how a girl should be treated. Heard of the whole thing about society sexualising young teens? That is exactly what is happening! What happened to celebrities who were role models but were role models not from dancing half naked on stage?!

It’s amazing also what is in some of the songs we sing! I listened to Notorious BIG ‘nasty girl’ feat. P.Diddy and some other artists and after having a look at the video thought I would read through the lyrics as I thought there was something more to do it, something more abnormal about the song. Just to clarify I wanted to listen to some songs that I used to hear on the tv a bit as a child/young teenage. Back to where I was, I was wrong, this is normal in the media. Some of the lines in the song ‘sex is all I expect’ and ‘fingers in your mouth, open up your blouse’. These are just a couple of the lines that disgusted me. The language in the song, no wonder they are rapping it! The artists probably don’t want you to know what they are saying! Some of the lines in that song are even more vulgar for example ‘when I’m done flip the mattress change the sheet’ and that’s not even the worst of it! Why would you want a young teenager to hear that? To hear that that behaviour is ok? To ask their friends about it to then find out the other stuff that they probably should not know till they are in her late teens at the earliest!

Robin Thicke as I have already mentioned is no better! Just reading through the lyrics to his ‘blurred lines’ song (I refuse to listen to it!), I should be shocked by the content of the song but after listening to the song ‘nasty girl’ as I have talked about above, I’m really not shocked! As I have mentioned before, this is the same guy who obviously does not realise that girls are actually HUMAN and not animals as he implies in the line ‘Ok now he was close, tried to domesticate you but you’re an animal, baby it’s in your nature.’ Someone tell me how that is meant to make a girl feel valued? According to google domesticate means ‘tame (an animal) and keep it as a pet or on a farm.’ I bet you didn’t know that! I ask you again, how is that meant to make a girl feel valued? To feel respected? What example is that giving to a young guy? Is this how he is meant to treat a girl? No but he has been taught no better by the media! In recent years I have noticed a rise in the adverts appealing directly to teenagers saying about abuse in relationships and what it is and that it should not be accepted. I’ve seen it, on tv, on posters in the community. They’re there. And I’m no expert but I bet you that part of the reason these campaigns are being run is as a result of the affect the media has on this and younger generations! And these artists are just two examples and there is a wide variety from which I could have chosen to use!

The media is a young person’s biggest influence. Look around you, it’s everywhere! People have to be connected, young people have it on their phones, it’s on TV’s, newsstands, you cannot get away from it! However it is up to YOU whether you choose to listen to the media or not. It’s like when you go to a bar, there are people around you drinking, yes you have to have A LOT of determination not to drink sometimes depending on who you are but there are alternatives. There’s a pub I go too where if my friends are having cocktails then I will often have a non-alcoholic cocktail. This helps me not to feel left out when they are drinking! You can do the same with music!

Anyway my point is basically there is music out there that is positive, however it is often not in the charts, sometimes it is but half the time the reason is because it doesn’t sell. Songs about drugs, sex, alcohol, and generally having a ‘good time’ sell and so as a result are more widespread amongst our generation. Basically as I said, there is positive music out there, it’s just up to YOU to find it. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Christian or not. Yes there is a lot of Christian rap, rock and so on that is positive however there is also a fair bit of secular music that has a positive vibe to it.

I leave you with this question. Do you really want to listen to music that portrays drugs, sex, alcohol in the lyrics? Lyrics that are often quite vulgar? Do you really want to be influenced by this?


If you didn’t get anything out of reading this then please at least think about what you are listening to, the message it is portraying and the influence it is having to you. If it is having a negative impact on you then it’s up to YOU to do something about it.